The Ancient Sport of Falconry

July 16, 2024
12:00pm - 1:00pm

Join the Laurel Fork Falconer and his birds as you learn about the ancient sport of falconry, how it works, how to getting started and training all goes into caring for and working with Raptors.You will also learn the natural history about birds of prey, their ecology and how these amazing birds contribute to their habitat. Collin Waybright is a Master Class Falconer in the state of West Virginia, and has been practicing falconry since he was 14 years old. He started this adventure by trapping his first falconry bird, a Red-Tailed Hawk named Ace, from the wild. Collin is a home-school graduate. His hopes are to impact his home state of West Virginia as well as surrounding states, by providing educational presentations that help people understand the nature of birds of prey and help them realize that they are a very important part of the environment in which we live. Armed with over 9 years of experience being a falconer, working at a raptor rehab center and being a zoo keeper at the Ararat Ridge Zoo at the Ark Encounter in KY, Collin has worked with a number of different birds. People are often amazed at Collin's God-given talent of working seemingly effortlessly with birds. Of course, if you ask him, he will assure you that there is more to training birds than what meets the eye.

Watch the Livestream!